Easy Fitness - A Faster Road to Fitness

If you have heard about race walking, you probably imagine overweight athletes waddling like ducks, taking mincing little steps and not making much progress.

You would be wrong. For starters race walkers don't waddle; the hips move forward and back, not side to side. Second, it provides an excellent exercise option. If you're serious about walking, fitness, and calorie burn, race walking is the way to go.

Race walking at a moderate pace can burn 600 calories an hour. Compare that to jogging at a moderate pace, which only burns 400. Why does race walking burn more calories? Unlike running, in which the upper body stays fairly still, race walking gets most of the upper body - the arms, back and shoulders involved.It can be very strenuous, but if you want to get the most from race walking, you have to do it right.

Keep the back upright - Walking fast with a bent or swayed back can cause injury because stress is absorbed by improperly aligned body parts. You'll kill your back or knees. So keep the back upright at all times.

Get the steps down - Race-Walking is not merely fast walking. It has a form all of its own. What you want to do is step forward with a straight leg, landing with the heel first. Walking with the knees bent puts a lot of stress on the hips, knees and spine.

Stay Loose - It's good to swing your arms backward behind the body when race walking, but be sure to keep them relaxed. This workout is about efficiency, and tensing your arms waste energy.

Control your hips - You want them to move forward and back with each stride, not side to side. The reason is simple: You want every part of your body to be moving forward. Side-to-side movements cost momentum.

While fast walking is great for fitness, your muscles won't appreciate it if you plunge into a 12 minute mile pace without giving them advanced warning. Use the first half mile as a warm up. Accelerate slowly until you feel warm and loose. Increase the middle portion of the walk to your maximum pace, then use the final half mile to wind down.

Obviously, walking uphill requires more effort than strolling on a flat surface. Depending on how fast you walk, walking a moderately steep hill can burn anywhere from 8 to 15 calories a minute.

Roberto Garcia

http://www.newhealthandfitnessdvds.co.uk

Health and fitness specialist.
Specialist provider of health and fitness information and products including DVDs, Books and Health & Fitness Supplements.

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